Eau de Rapture
by Scherzo Barouque
Summary: Aido’s irises were an enigmatic and unfathomable blend of gray tints, watery blue hues and undertones of gold. [ Aido x Ruka ]
1. L'Air du Temps

**Eau de Rapture**

**Chapter one: L'Air du Temps **

.x

It was a betrothal, binding the two noble houses in a whisk of a quill and a stamp on the contract. It was the inevitable fate of the heirs to the nocturnal clans in order to preserve what purity they had left in their blood. The same fate befell their parents and their parents before them, along with the many previous generations of vampires.

Ruka had never felt so trapped.

She was bound to the inevitable fate of arranged marriage, reigned in by the fences made up of harsh rules and bitter parents; and in this aspect, she was jealous the uncouth commoners that littered the streets of the outside world – they had their own choices, freedom, and their own lives to live. They had not the need to recite lackluster lines from dull poems word-by-word in order to gratify their equally-as-dreary elders, and neither did they need to follow unsolicited rules imposed upon them to help them maintain an imperial image.

She supposed that this was her retribution for being born into the Soen family.

Her mother had paid her price earlier in her life to her grandparents, who had in turn paid their prices to their own parents. It was a never-ending cycle of castigation for being born into a noble vampire clan of tainted blood, for their ancestors had all committed a crime to save them from the tragedy of the purebloods.

Maybe Ruka would thank them one day when she finally learns to fall in love with her betrothed, but when she remembers the stiffness in the gazes of her parents and the palpable chill in their words, she wonders if that day will ever arrive.

.x

They were ready to send him off to his new dwelling, he thought impassively, grazing his fingers over the lid of the grand piano. He would miss it.

"Come, Hanabusa," his father's voice shook with authority and duty and he knew that he could not oppose. He peered at the stark lines under the senior's eyes, a marking of age, stress, and the constraints of time.

It would be a long time before he saw those eyes again, he realized with a jolt. But it would be alright, he guessed; he would cope – just like his father did during his marriage with his mother, because in the end, he did fall madly in love with her; his many sisters testified that.

He remembered a wise Chinese saying – "A man does not weep with ease".

.x

"Ja, Hanabusa," Akatsuki bade him goodbye, a solemn expression splayed across his rugged features. "Take good care of Ruka."

"Mm."

Aido hoisted himself onto the horse carriage and settled onto the leather bench, placing his sling bag beside him. The pitter-patter of rainwater washed over his ears and drowned out the clacking sound of the horse's hooves.

Their wedding was to be held in a month's time; and they had to use that short period to get used to the idea of living with each other.

Aido grimaced.

What would the future hold for them? He wondered, tapping his shoe lightly on the floor of the carriage. He was only seventeen, for Kaname-sama's sake, and he would be meeting his wife-to-be within an hour's time.

.x

If Aido was a vibrantly hued passion flower, then she was a softer, flimsier lily.

He towered over her, standing in front of the oaken doors impassively and emanating an aura of majesty. Ruka led him into the house silently – they had known each other for so long that there was no need for words to understand, yet she was sure that if she parted her lips to speak at that very moment, her voice would've failed her and their world would once more lapse into tension.

Aido had always radiated an imperious and commanding air, and today was no different. His sharp facial features, sturdy frame and his enigmatic eyes were what the nocturnal society looked up to, along with his aristocratic status and affluent background. She should be feeling happy and fortunate to be marrying him, she chided herself, for this was Hanabusa Aido who had also been her lifelong friend and not many heiresses were lucky enough to end up betrothed to their close companions.

She was lucky, indeed.

For one, she could've been sent off to marry one of those leering vampires she'd once met during her sixteenth birthday party. She heaved an involuntary shudder at the very thought of stepping within their line of vision and being unclothed by their eyes, and at once her partner shot her a questioning glance which she replied with a shake of her head.

Ruka pried off his coat from his shoulders and handed it over to one of the servants on her way to the kitchens, but Aido simply retrieved it from her outstretched hands.

.x

**L'Air du Temps: End.**

Whew. I'm still trying to recollect my thoughts about Cerulean Palace (aka WRITER'S BLOCK), and in the process, I created Eau de Rapture. It's very blatantly Aido/Ruka, as you can see, so if you can't stand the very idea of this couple, please. Just leave this page.

I'm planning to name every chapter after the name of a perfume. This chapter was named after _L'Air du Temps_ by _Nina Ricci_...

Other than that, I hope you enjoyed! I plan to give this story a very different feel from Cerulean Palace as I try to experiment with new styles…yep…

Please leave a review.


	2. Organza

**Eau de Rapture**

**Chapter Two: Organza**

.x

Ruka shifted in her seat uncertainly as she dined on her supper, eyes darting left and right. Opposite of her sat Aido, who was reading a thick book he brought over from the Aido estate.

The tender steak felt like sandpaper in her mouth, but she swallowed it anyway, and watched as he flipped intently through the tome. To an outsider, it might've been a picturesque scene of a brother and a sister having a quiet dinner without their parents. Their striking physical resemblances often had her wondering if they were indeed long lost siblings, rather than old acquaintances.

Of course, they had their fair share of differences, too. For an instance, they both had blonde hair, but Ruka's was more on the sheerer, ash-coloured side, much unlike Aido's platinum-golden strands of hair.

Another prominent dissimilarity was their eye colours. Ruka's irises were a bedazzling mix of greens and blues, captivating, ensnaring, and entrancing, while Aido's were an enigmatic and unfathomable blend of gray tints, watery blue hues and undertones of gold.

Aside from those, they were, simply put, clones of each other. Both of them had well-defined oval faces that tapered down from high cheekbones to a narrow chin, as well as slender necks, elongated fingers, and creamy white skin. It was no wonder that they were often mistaken for family members wherever they went.

Well, all would change as soon as they get married, she thought, her stomach churning sickly. They would be wearing identical wedding rings on their fingers, wouldn't they? Then they would be all-the-more similar.

She smiled bitterly.

.x

Back at the Aido estate, dinner had been different from the scene presented before him at this very moment. Dinner was always a busy and noisy affair, as everyone ignored the true purpose of having a meal and instead fought and laughed among themselves.

His sisters were a primary example, he scoffed. Shrieking and giggling and tugging his hair and tossing foie gras over their heads…..

He furiously wiped the thought away from his mind and observed his fiancée from the corner of his eyes.

.x

Tmp. Tmp. Tmp.

Pause.

"That's my room on the left and yours on the right," Ruka gestured to the two ceiling-to-floor entrances, "They're connected together by another door, just so you know."

"Ah."

Aido twisted the brass doorknob and led himself into his new bedroom, inspecting every corner owlishly, from the elaborate tasseled edges of the curtains to the lavender-scented pillows that were settled neatly on one end of the king-sized bed. Not to mention that there was also a polished and finely-carved grand piano near the tall windows.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

If he didn't know better, he would've sworn that this was the exact same room at the Aido Estate.

"Well?" Ruka's hesitant voice broke his train of thoughts. "I made sure that the pillows were scented. And father had me bring in this grand piano as a gift."

"It's nice," he replied casually. "Hospitable. And I suppose I'll have to thank your father afterwards for the generous present?"

"Oh, there's no need. You know how he is." She shot him a knowing look and directed her gaze at the portrait on the wall, illustrating an embroidered china vase and silvery flora.

They stayed like that for a brief moment before Ruka left for her room, the arms of sleep beckoning her down the silken covers.

.x

Aido awoke with a start; he could hear the sound of porcelain shattering, and the incessant pounding of footsteps against the floor.

_Was the manor being raided?_ He mused, and shook his head tiredly. Ruka would be able to handle invaders. Probably.

Crash!

Thump! 

Aido rolled out of the bed reluctantly.

.x

**Chapter Two: Organza: End**

Lol heys. I'm back from my vacation in California. Currently suffering from jet-lag.

Sorry for the wait. (:


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